A few things amazed Stupid Samuel when he arrived at this new place.

First, he learned that the city's name is San Diego. The name seemed familiar to Stupid Samuel because his mother had been praying to all kinds of saints to ward off all the misfortunes happening to her son.

Second, the border guards surprised him by letting him pass even though there's a large blade in his bag, its handle quite visible, as he made no attempts to conceal it. Stupid Samuel foolishly imagined that the people in this city offered more kindness than the villagers back home.

Third, and most remarkable of all: nobody paid him any attention, a naked boy wandering around the streets ‌with only a small bag slung across his forehead. He's no longer a sensation in his barrio but a little fish in a big sea.

It was with this confidence that Stupid Samuel stood in front of a large fountain. He didn't realize he had become thirsty, perhaps accustomed to the previous days of endless heat. So he hooked his leg over the low edge of the surrounding basin and took out his bottle and filled it with water.

It's only when he bent down and scooped up the coins in the catchment that some people stopped him.

"Hey, buddy! You can't do that," one of them shouted.

"Por qué?" Stupid Samuel couldn't figure out what the person was referring to — whether it was because he filled his bottle with too much water, whether he was picking up money that clearly nobody wanted, or maybe it was the state of his undress, or the position he found himself in.

"¡Oye, bro! You can't do that, hombre," someone repeated, as if calling Stupid Samuel "bro" would make the boy feel fondness for the speaker and deter him from whatever he's doing.

"Why?" Stupid Samuel asked. "Why no?"

"Porque that's stealing," another chimed in. "So, you gotta put those back."

"Ta bueno," Stupid Samuel conceded, and dumped the water back into the reservoir, and pocketed the coins in his bag.

A beat cop passing by heard the word "stealing" and assumed the worst. This officer only started his job a week ago and was eager to impress. So he walked up to the naked boy and placed him in handcuffs. He would think of something to charge him later when they reached the station. But at that moment, Stupid Samuel was screwed.